U.S. patent application number 12/042429 was filed with the patent office on 2009-09-10 for system and method for automatically monitoring and managing wireless network performance.
This patent application is currently assigned to HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., INC.. Invention is credited to Ou Jin, Bo Lei, Bo Liu, Youqian Xiao, Zheng Zhao.
Application Number | 20090227251 12/042429 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41054138 |
Filed Date | 2009-09-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090227251 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lei; Bo ; et al. |
September 10, 2009 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY MONITORING AND MANAGING
WIRELESS NETWORK PERFORMANCE
Abstract
A system for automatically monitoring and managing network
performance. The system comprises a mobile phone, adapted to have a
monitoring function for providing monitoring information and
communications regarding monitoring and management of network
performance; and a mobile communication network, providing mobile
communication services to the mobile phone. The mobile
communication network comprises a Mobile Measurement Agent (MMA),
adapted to control performing of the monitoring function of the
mobile phone, and to communicate with the mobile phone; a data
server, adapted to store information comprising the monitoring
information; and a component for processing the information stored
in the data server, wherein a processing result of the information
is used in performance monitoring and management of the mobile
communication network.
Inventors: |
Lei; Bo; (Shanghai, CN)
; Xiao; Youqian; (Shanghai, CN) ; Zhao; Zheng;
(Shanghai, CN) ; Liu; Bo; (Shanghai, CN) ;
Jin; Ou; (Shanghai, CN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BRINKS HOFER GILSON & LIONE
P.O. BOX 10395
CHICAGO
IL
60610
US
|
Assignee: |
HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO.,
INC.
Shenzhen
CN
|
Family ID: |
41054138 |
Appl. No.: |
12/042429 |
Filed: |
March 5, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/425 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 41/5054 20130101;
H04L 41/5067 20130101; H04J 11/0069 20130101; H04W 24/08
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/425 |
International
Class: |
H04Q 7/20 20060101
H04Q007/20 |
Claims
1. A system for automatically monitoring and managing network
performance, comprising: a mobile phone, adapted to have a
monitoring function for providing monitoring information and
communications regarding monitoring and management of network
performance; and a mobile communication network, providing mobile
communication services to the mobile phone, comprising: a Mobile
Measurement Agent (MMA), adapted to control performing of the
monitoring function of the mobile phone, and to communicate with
the mobile phone; a data server, adapted to store information
comprising the monitoring information; and a component for
processing the information stored in the data server, wherein a
processing result of the information is used in performance
monitoring and management of the mobile communication network.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone provides Global
Positioning System (GPS) information.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone performs the
monitoring function upon satisfaction of a triggering condition or
on a periodic base.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the condition comprises
occurrence of an event of the mobile phone.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring information
comprises wireless signal information, network information or
location information.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring information
comprises strength and quality of a receiving signal,
Signal-Interference Ratio (SIR), Transport Channel Block Error Rate
(TRCH BLER), transmitted and received power, CELL ID, frequency,
User Registration Area (URA) ID, or Global Positioning System (GPS)
information.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring information
comprises a record of a procedure, an event, or a pre- and
post-message around an event of the mobile phone.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the mobile phone is in idle
mode.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein the procedure or event comprises
power-on, end of cell search, start and end of cell re-selection,
paging receiving time and response time, starting and ending time
of random access, number of attempts of random access, or inter-RAT
(Radio Access Technology) handover.
10. The system of claim 7, wherein the procedure or event comprises
access failure, PDP activation failure, call drops, handover
failures, or link release.
11. The system of claim 7, wherein the procedure or event comprises
lost network connection, no signal, battery exhaust, power-off,
system halted for software problems, poor coverage, strong
interference or poor speech quality.
12. The system of claim 7, wherein the event is user-definable or
configurable.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring information
comprises information of Quality of Service (QoS) or user's
Experience of Service (EoS) of the mobile phone.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user's Experience of
Service (EoS) is measured utilizing Mean Opinion Score (MOS).
15. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring information
comprises a record of an event of the mobile phone that is
unavailable to the mobile communication network.
16. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone is adapted to
upload the monitoring information to the MMA server.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the mobile phone initiates
uploading of the monitoring information to the MMA server on
conditions or periodically.
18. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone is adapted to
compress the monitoring information.
19. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone is adapted to
download data from the mobile communication network.
20. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication network
comprises a Code Division Multiplex Access (CDMA) 2000 network, a
Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) network , a WiMAX
network, an Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) network,
or a 4G network.
21. The system of claim 1, wherein the MMA server has knowledge of
the mobile phone.
22. The system of claim 21, wherein the knowledge comprises mobile
phone ID of the mobile phone.
23. The system of claim 1, wherein the MMA server is provided with
an IP address.
24. The system of claim 1, wherein the MMA server is accessible by
the mobile phone.
25. The system of claim 1, wherein the MMA server controls the
performing of the monitoring function on the mobile phone via a
short message, a Multimedia Message (MMS), a measurement
configuration file, or combination thereof.
26. The system of claim 25, wherein the measurement configuration
file is provided by the MMA server.
27. The system of claim 25, wherein the measurement configuration
file is configurable.
28. The system of claim 25, wherein the mobile phone is adapted to
download the measurement configuration file from the MMA
server.
29. The system of claim 1, wherein the MMA server is adapted to
authenticate the mobile phone if the mobile phone wants to access
the MMA server.
30. The system of claim 1, wherein the MMA server is adapted to
support data uploading or downloading for the mobile phone.
31. The system of claim 30, wherein the MMA server is adapted to be
an FTP server, an HTTP server, or a Web server.
32. The system of claim 1, wherein the MMA server is adapted to
decompress the monitoring information compressed and provided by
the mobile phone.
33. The system of claim 1, wherein the data server is adapted to
store information obtained from a network element of the mobile
communication network.
34. The system of claim 33, wherein the network element comprises a
Regional Node Center (RNC), a Node B, a Service GPRS Support Node
(SGSN), or a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN).
35. The system of claim 33, wherein the information comprises a
record of a pre- and post-message around an event of the mobile
communication network, or information related to the occurrence of
an event of the mobile communication network or the mobile phone
comprising a mobile phone ID, a board ID, a link ID, or error
information of an equipment's functional component, wherein the
event comprises call drop, handover failure, connection release,
board problems, re-start, or an abnormal event.
36. The system of claim 1, wherein processing of the information
stored in the data server comprises correlating the monitoring
information obtained from the mobile phone with information
obtained from a network element of the mobile communication
network.
37. The system of claim 36, wherein the correlating is performed
utilizing event information of the mobile phone, the mobile phone
ID, or time information.
38. The system of claim 1, wherein the component for processing
information stored in the data server processes the information
using a method comprising the steps of: generating a network
monitoring reports using the monitoring information obtained by the
mobile phone; correlating information provided by a network element
of the mobile communication network with the monitoring information
to generate a network performance report; and inputting the
correlated results into an expert system to identify problems and
generate an optimization plan.
39. The system of claim 1, wherein the data server further
comprises a network problem expert system.
40. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing result is
provided for the whole mobile communication network, or for a
cell.
41. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing result is
provided according to different time period, or for a day.
42. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing result comprises
a statistical report, a graphical display, a network Key
Performance Indicator (KPI) statistical report, or an abnormality
report.
43. The system of claim 42, wherein the abnormality report
comprises information related to holes in network coverage, poor
network coverage, severe interference areas, or pilot
pollution.
44. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing result comprises
a geographical display of information related to the mobile phone,
or services provided to the mobile phone.
45. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing result comprises
information related to wireless signal coverage or wireless signal
quality.
46. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing result comprises
information related to end-to-end performance indicators or quality
of experience of services.
47. The system of claim 46, wherein the information comprises
success rate, jitter, number of buffering, response time, average
rate, or Mean Opinion Score (MOS).
48. The system of claim 46, wherein the services comprise audio,
video, Multimedia Message, Web or stream medium services.
49. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing results comprise
information related to a non-connection procedure.
50. The system of claim 49, wherein the information comprises
success rate, time delay or average attempt number of processes
comprising cell search, cell selection and re-selection, paging,
random access, or inter-RAT handover.
51. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing result comprises
statistical information related to usage of a mobile communication
service.
52. The system of claim 51, wherein the statistical information
comprises number of usage of a service, average usage time, or
statistics of traffic volume.
53. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing result is
displayable and the display of the processing result is
configurable.
54. The system of claim 1, wherein services used by the mobile
phone concerning the monitoring and management of network
performance of the mobile communication network is not charged.
55. A method for automatically monitoring and managing network
performance, comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of
mobile phones in a mobile communication network, each adapted to
have a monitoring function for providing monitoring information and
communications with the mobile communication network regarding
monitoring and management of network performance, wherein the
monitoring function is performed under the control of the mobile
communication network; obtaining monitoring information by at least
one of the plurality of mobile phones; processing the obtained
monitoring information in combination with other related
information obtained on the mobile communication network; and
utilizing a processing result for improving the mobile
communication network performance if needed.
56. The method of claim 55, wherein the monitoring information
comprises wireless signal information, network information,
location information, a record of a procedure or an event of the
mobile phone, a pre- and post-message around an event of the mobile
phone, Quality of Service (QoS), or user's Experience of Service
(EoS) of the mobile phone.
57. The method of claim 55, wherein the mobile communication
network controls the performing of the monitoring function via a
short message, a multimedia message, a measurement configuration
file, or combination thereof.
58. The method of claim 55, wherein the plurality of mobile phones
are adapted to upload to or download from the mobile communication
network.
59. A system for automatically monitoring and managing network
performance, comprises: a commercially used mobile phone, adapted
to have a monitoring function for providing monitoring information
and communications regarding monitoring and management of network
performance, and to provide Global Positioning System (GPS)
information; and a mobile communication network, providing mobile
communication services to the mobile phone, comprising: a Mobile
Measurement Agent (MMA), adapted to control performing of the
monitoring function of the mobile phone using a short message, a
multimedia message, a measurement configuration file or combination
thereof, and to support data uploading and downloading by the
mobile phone; a data server, adapted to store information
comprising the monitoring information and information obtained from
a network element of the mobile communication network; and a
component for processing the information stored in the data server,
wherein a processing result of the information is used in
performance monitoring and management of the mobile communication
network; wherein the monitoring information comprises wireless
signal information, network information, location information, a
record of a procedure or an event of the mobile phone, a pre- and
post-message around an event of the mobile phone, Quality of
Service (QoS) or user's Experience of Service (EoS) of the mobile
phone, or an event of the mobile phone that is unavailable to the
mobile communication network; wherein the mobile phone is adapted
to upload the monitoring information to the MMA server; and wherein
the processing result comprises a statistical report, a graphical
display, a network Key Performance Indicator statistical report, or
an abnormality report of information related to use of the mobile
phone, services used by the mobile phone, or user's experience of
the services.
60. The system of claim 59, wherein the mobile communication
network comprises a Code Division Multiplex Access (CDMA) 2000
network, a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS)
network, a WiMAX network, an Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution
(EDGE) network, or a 4G network.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not applicable.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to
telecommunications, and more particularly, to a versatile system
for automatically monitoring and managing wireless network
performance.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] With rapid development of and increased competition in
mobile communication services, user expectations for the quality of
mobile communication networks increase. How to provide high quality
network environment to the satisfaction of users is becoming one of
the main purposes for network maintenance and optimization.
[0004] Moreover, because of the increasing number of functions
performed by a mobile phone, and increasing varieties of services
provided by operators, types of services running within a mobile
network increase dramatically. Operators' attention with respect to
network operation and maintenance has been changed from traditional
network performance to service perception performance, i.e.,
satisfaction of users' experience of various services need to be
guaranteed, in addition to network performance.
[0005] Conventional methods for testing network quality include Key
Performance Indicator (KPI) statistics, customer complaint,
non-periodic network assessment (driving test), and automatic
driving test. However, each of these conventional methods has its
own limitations.
[0006] The KPI statistics may be used to generate KPI parameters of
a whole network during a given period of time. But this method is
limited on problem analysis and determination, and unable to
reflect users' real experience of service (EoS).
[0007] Customer complaint is a typical method used for monitoring
Quality of Service (QoS), however, few users may respond with
complaints for unsatisfactory network services until situations
become unbearable. Furthermore, using this method, nothing may be
done to improve network performance until complaints are received,
and thus at this point, problems may be found but not solved.
[0008] Non-periodic driving test may be used to monitor network
quality by non-periodically testing network services within a
predetermined area and during a predetermined period of time.
However, testing results using this method may not reflect quality
of a whole network since the test does not cover the whole network.
Moreover, performing a non-periodic driving test may place a high
demand for manpower and resources, and may be limited by various
natural conditions. Therefore, this method is costly and
insufficient.
[0009] In an automatic driving test, an automatic driving test
system installed on a transport or in some place may be used to
simulate network services, monitor and test network performance.
This method may significantly increase space and time within which
network data are collected, save manpower, improve efficiency for
monitoring network performance, and provide monitoring of network
performance in real-time to a certain extent. However, results from
an automatic driving test may not be able to represent situations
of a whole network.
[0010] Referring to the Prior art of FIG. 1, a diagram 100
illustrates an example of a conventional system for automatic
driving test. A control unit 102 sends a testing command through a
Base Station 104 to a Mobile Testing Unit (MTU) 106, which may be
installed in a cab or another transportation vehicle. The MTU 106
performs the driving test, records testing data, and periodically
or instantly sends the testing data to the control unit 102. The
testing data may be stored in a database server 108 via an access
unit 110. The control unit 102 may obtain the testing data,
instruct an analysis unit 112 to perform statistical analysis, and
generate various reports. Thus, through mobility of the
transportation vehicles within a network, collection of network
data and monitoring of network performance may be performed
automatically.
[0011] Although an automatic driving test is more efficient than a
conventional driving test, it still lacks flexibility and
portability, for a testing unit may only be installed in a
transportation vehicle. Testing routes in an automatic driving test
are limited, and therefore testing results may not represent
quality of services of a whole network. Furthermore, the testing
may not represent real usage of network services, and may not
provide evaluation of EoS. In addition, no complaint may be made to
the "network quality" problems caused by mobile phones. This method
may be used mainly to measure and monitor network quality, lacking
capabilities in problem identification and comprehensive
analysis.
[0012] Conventional systems for evaluating QoS and EoS of users are
basically separate and independent network performance testing
systems. An additional testing unit may be plugged in a network,
and evaluation of EoS may be performed by simulating services
provided to actual users. Methods for evaluating EoS may calculate
various performance indicators of active services, for example,
time delay, success rate, etc. of various services, such as
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) services, WEB services, or
Multimedia Message Services (MMSs). For audio or video services,
methods for evaluating EoS may simulate users' experience of
various services, which may be done using methods known as "with
reference" evaluation. A "with reference" method may compare a
received file with an original file, and produce Mean Opinion
Scores (MOSs) of simulated user experiences. One example of such
methods is the method for Perceived Evaluation of Speech Quality
(PESQ).
[0013] The above methods have disadvantages, though they may
support testing of users' EoS. In these methods, additional units
for testing QoS are needed in a network, complicating network
performance management system. The methods also use simulated
services, instead of real-time network services, to evaluate the
QoS, and therefore may not represent situations of a real network.
Further, performance data available from the network side is not
used by the testing system, and therefore, these methods may not
provide effective analysis in case of poor QoS.
[0014] Therefore, conventional methods for monitoring network
performance may not meet the goal of current trend in network
maintenance and optimization, as described previously. Thus, there
is a need for a comprehensive and integrated system that provides
automatic monitoring, management and optimization of network
performance and quality of services.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] A system for automatically monitoring and managing network
performance is provided. The system comprises a mobile phone,
adapted to have a monitoring function for providing monitoring
information and communications regarding monitoring and management
of network performance; and a mobile communication network,
providing mobile communication services to the mobile phone. The
mobile communication network comprises a Mobile Measurement Agent
(MMA), adapted to control performing of the monitoring function of
the mobile phone, and to communicate with the mobile phone; a data
server, adapted to store information comprising the monitoring
information; and a component for processing the information stored
in the data server, wherein a processing result of the information
is used in performance monitoring and management of the mobile
communication network.
[0016] The following description and drawings set forth in detail a
number of illustrative embodiments of the invention. These
embodiments are indicative of but a few of the various ways in
which the present invention may be utilized.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure
and its advantages, reference is now made to the following
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in
which like reference numerals represent like parts:
[0018] FIG. 1 depicts an example of an automatic driving test
system;
[0019] FIG. 2 depicts an overall structure of a system for wireless
network performance monitoring and management according to one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 3 depicts functional structures of a mobile phone
according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 4 depicts functional structures on the network side
according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 5 depicts files to be uploaded to an MMA server
according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 6 depicts data provided by mobile phones and stored on
a data server according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0024] FIG. 7 depicts data provided by network elements that is
stored on a data server according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0025] FIG. 8 depicts a block diagram for processing information
stored in a data server according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0026] FIG. 9 depicts a user interface for measurement
configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention;
and
[0027] FIG. 10 depicts a user interface for measurement
configuration according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] The following discussion is presented to enable a person
skilled in the art to make and use the invention. The general
principles described herein may be applied to embodiments and
applications other than those detailed below without departing from
the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined herein.
The present invention is not intended to be limited to the
embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope
consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.
[0029] The present invention provides a system, comprising various
constructs and methods, for automatically monitoring and managing
wireless network performance. Embodiments in the present invention
may provide automatic and comprehensive monitoring and management
of network performance, by use of mobile phones with extended
functions within real communication networks, and combining Call
History Records (CHRs) available on network side.
[0030] For example, the system in embodiments of the present
invention may provide monitoring of wireless environments, such as,
network coverage and signal quality, etc., using location
information of mobile phones; provide direct evaluation of users'
real experience of services; provide monitoring and recording of
mobile phone procedures in idle mode; and provide recording of
abnormal and key events of mobile phones, and pre- and
post-messages around events of mobile phones. Mobile phones in the
system of the embodiments of the present invention may be extended
to have one or more monitoring functions with respect to monitoring
and management of network performance. By utilizing information
provided through the monitoring functions on mobile phone side, and
CHRs on network side, the system in the embodiments of the present
invention performs comprehensive end-to-end analysis, analyzing and
defining problems, and providing automatic and comprehensive
monitoring, management and optimization of network performance,
including users' experience of services.
[0031] FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of an overall structure 200
of a system for automatically monitoring and managing network
performance of a mobile communication network according to the
present invention.
[0032] The system in FIG. 2 includes a plurality of mobile phones
210 within a mobile communication network 220. The network 220
includes a plurality of Base Stations (BSs) 222 covering certain
areas 224 within which mobile communication services are provided
to the mobile phones 210. The mobile phones 210 may be commercial
mobile phones, and adapted to provide one or more monitoring
functions.
[0033] The monitoring functions may provide capabilities for the
mobile phones 210 to obtain, including measure or collect,
monitoring information; to communicate with a destined entity
regarding the monitoring and managing of network performance of the
network 220, e.g., a mobile phone may report certain monitoring
information to the network 220; or to perform any other functions
for the purpose of monitoring and managing network performance,
without departing the scope and spirit of the present
invention.
[0034] The monitoring information that may be obtained by the
mobile phones 210 may include information that is useful in or
related to monitoring and managing network performance of the
network 220. For instance, the monitoring information may include
wireless signal measurement information; network information;
location information; key procedures, key events and pre- and
post-messages around events on mobile phone side; or Quality of
Service (QoS) and users' Experience of Service (EoS) on mobile
phone side; etc. The monitoring functions and monitoring
information will be described in details later. However, the
monitoring functions and monitoring information that may be applied
to the present invention are not limited to those described in the
embodiments of the present invention.
[0035] The network 220 may trigger, as needed, one of the mobile
phones 210 to perform one or more monitoring functions to "monitor"
the network 220. In one example, the network 220 may trigger a
mobile phone 210 to obtain particular monitoring information, such
as problems with respect to quality of network or QoS; key events,
such as call events, mobile phone's service events, or abnormal
events of mobile phones which may not be available at network side;
or pre- and post-messages around various events; etc.
Alternatively, the mobile phone 210 may be triggered to perform a
monitoring function according to a triggering condition, such as
when a particular event of the mobile phone 210 occurs, or on a
periodic base, such as every one hour or every 3 minutes. The
mobile phone 210 may obtain and record in a particular manner the
monitoring information, and transmit the monitoring information to
a server on the network 220 under certain conditions.
[0036] The network 220 may provide an application server--Mobile
Measurement Agent (MMA) 240, which may be adapted to control, via
an Internet 230, the performing of the monitoring functions on
mobile phones 210, and communicate with the mobile phones 210. In
one embodiment, the MMA server may control when or how a monitoring
function is performed, what monitoring functions may be performed,
what monitoring information may need to be obtained by a mobile
phone, or how or when the monitoring information is transmitted to
the MMA, etc.
[0037] The MMA 240 may implement the control in various ways, e.g.,
by utilizing messages, such as short messages, or configuration
information, such as a configuration file, regarding the performing
of monitoring functions of the mobile phones 210. The MMA 240 may
further receive the monitoring information from the mobile phones
210, and forward the information to a specific data server 250.
[0038] The data server 250 may store network elements CHR of an
Access Network (AN) of the mobile communication network 220, in
addition to the monitoring information from the mobile phones 210.
Information on the data server 250 may be correlated using mobile
phone IDs and callings, and processed by some data analysis tools
260 using network performance analysis software. The data
processing may report problems about quality of network and
services thereof, provide supplementary end-to-end problem analysis
and identification, provide optimization advices using expert
systems, and provide customized user interface and reports,
etc.
[0039] The network 220 may also include a Short Message Center
(SMC) 270, which may send short messages, under control of the MMA
240, to trigger the mobile phones 210 to start or stop monitoring
functions.
[0040] The system in this embodiment may provide automatic,
comprehensive, and real-time monitoring and management of network
performance, which may be related to information including wireless
signals, network and location information, idle mode processes,
calling procedures, QoS, and internal abnormal events of mobile
phones. Moreover, the system in the embodiment may make use of
existing CHR information on network side, providing end-to-end
analysis.
[0041] The system in this embodiment may be based on commercially
used mobile phones, thus providing more flexibility in deployment
and usage of the system, and may be applied to various networks,
including CDMA2000; Universal Mobile Telecommunication System
(UMTS), such as Wideband Code Division Multiplexing Access (WCDMA)
and High-Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+); Enhanced Data rates for
GSM Evolution (EDGE) networks; WiMAX; and 4G networks, such as a
Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G network, etc.
[0042] Referring to FIG. 3, a diagram 300 illustrating an
embodiment of functional structures of a mobile phone in the system
in FIG. 2 according to the present invention. A mobile phone 310
may include a component 332 to provide mobile phone information,
and such information may include wireless quality, network
information, data packets analysis, mobile phone signaling, various
events, and evaluation of experience of services, etc. The
component 332 may send the mobile phone information to a component
340 in the mobile phone 310. The component 340 in the mobile phone
310, as part of a Mobile Measurement Agent (MMA), may communicate
with a network 320 for the monitoring and management of the network
performance. The component 340 may include a control component 342
and a communication component 344. Monitoring of network
performance by the mobile phone 310 may be controlled by the
network 320 through short messages received via a short message
component 336 in the mobile phone 310 or may be controlled by the
network 320 through both short messages and measurement
configuration files sent by the network 320. The measurement
configuration files will be described later.
[0043] The mobile phone 310 in the system of the embodiments of the
present invention may be a commercial mobile phone with extended
monitoring functions for monitoring and managing network
performance, e.g., a 3G commercial mobile phone with a plurality of
monitoring functions. The mobile phone 310 may provide processing
and storage capabilities to support the extended monitoring
functions, and may further provide location information utilizing a
Global Positioning System (GPS), such as utilizing a GPS chip 334
embedded in the mobile phone 310.
[0044] A. Monitoring Functions Extended on a Mobile Phone
[0045] As described earlier, the monitoring functions, that may be
extended on a mobile phone in the embodiments of the present
invention, may enable the mobile phone, such as the mobile phone
310, to obtain monitoring information regarding the monitoring and
management of network performance, and to communicate with a
specified entity. The monitoring functions and monitoring
information that may be obtained are described in the
following.
[0046] 1. A mobile phone may obtain, e.g., collect and/or measure,
monitoring information such as wireless signal measurement
information, network information and location information. For
example, in a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS)
network, information collected or measured by a mobile phone may
include strength and quality of receiving signals in an active set
or a monitor set; Signal-Interference Ratio (SIR), and Transport
Channel Block Error Rate (TRCH BLER); transmitted and received
power; and CELL ID, frequency, User Registration Area (URA) ID, and
Global Positioning System (GPS) information; etc.
[0047] In one embodiment, the monitoring functions for collecting
or measuring the above information may be implemented on a 3G
commercial mobile phone, and GPS information may be provided by an
embedded GPS chip in the mobile phone. The GPS information may
alternatively be obtained by a mobile phone from an independent GPS
equipment by way of Bluetooth.
[0048] To reduce workload of a mobile phone, monitoring functions
to obtain monitoring information, e.g., to collect or measure the
monitoring information, in embodiments of the present invention,
may be performed on conditions. The conditions may be, for example,
when a key event occurs, or when strength or quality of a signal is
lower than a given threshold, etc. Alternatively, when workload is
not a concern, the collection or measurement may be performed
continuously and/or periodically. How to perform the collection or
measurement may be configurable, and may be configured by a network
of the mobile phone.
[0049] Table 1 shows an example of the wireless signal measurement
information, network information and location information that may
be collected or measured by a mobile phone.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Information Description IMSI International
Mobile Subscriber Identity YY:MM:DD:HH:MM:SS:ms Time record,
millisecond precision XXX.XXXXX GPS longitude information XXX.XXXXX
GPS latitude information LAC Location Area code RAC Routing Area
code ID CELL ID Main serving cell. The lower 16-bit represents cell
ID, and higher 16-bit represents Regional Node Center (RNC) ID. For
example, for 0x30022, cell ID is 0x22, and RNC ID is 0x30. UL Freq
Uplink frequency DL Freq Downlink frequency Rx Received power Tx
Transmitted power ACTIVE SET >P-SC Primary scrambling codes
>Ec/Io Pilot Ec/Io >RSCP Pilot RSCP MONITOR SET >P-SC
>Ec/Io >RSCP TRCH information Valid on connection >TRCH ID
Transport Channel ID >BLER BLER correspond to the TRCH
[0050] 2. A mobile phone may obtain monitoring information such as
key procedures, key events, or pre- and post-messages around the
events on mobile phone side. A mobile phone may obtain information
of procedures and events when it is in an idle mode, and the
procedures or events may include power-on, end of cell search,
start and end of cell re-selection, paging receiving time and
response time, starting and ending time of random access, number of
attempts of random access, and inter-RAT (Radio Access Technology)
handover, etc. These procedures or events in non-connection states,
that are not observable on network side, may be obtained and
recorded by a mobile phone, and provided to the network for
analysis and optimization to improve network performance.
[0051] A mobile phone may also record key procedures or events on
mobile phone side, including access failure, PDP activation
failure, call drops, handover failures, and link release, etc; and
pre- and post-messages around events, which may comprise 3.about.5
pre- or post-messages, providing information for end-to-end
analysis.
[0052] In addition, a mobile phone may record information of events
about the mobile phone itself, such as lost network connection, no
signal, battery exhaust, power-off, or system halted for software
problems, etc. The information may help separate non-network
factors in problem analysis and identification.
[0053] Other events, that may not be observable on network side, or
that may be useful in network optimization or network problem
analysis and identification, may also be obtained and/or recoded on
a mobile phone by extending corresponding functions on the mobile
phone.
[0054] Table 2 shows an example of the information that may be
obtained and recorded on mobile phone side.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Information Description IMSI International
Mobile Subscriber Identity YY:MM:DD:HH:MM:SS:ms Event occurring
time Event ID One of the events described above
YY:MM:DD:HH:MM:SS:ms Event occurring time Event ID One of the
events described above . . .
[0055] 3. A mobile phone may obtain monitoring information such as
Quality of Service (QoS) and users' Experience of Service (EoS) on
the mobile phone side. For operators of communication networks, Key
Performance Indicators (KPIs) of networks may not represent the
real Quality of Experience (QoE) of each service provided to a
user. QoE is a very important factor for helping operators improve
users' satisfaction of services. As the processing capability of
mobile phones improving continuously, the real QoE of different
services are expected to be measured objectively and directly on
mobile phones.
[0056] A mobile phone may use some objective measurement algorithms
to measure users' experience of various services. In these
objective measurement algorithms, factors that may affect users'
experience of each service may be identified and listed. The
factors may include indicators such as success rates, time delays,
jitters, number and time of buffering, and download rates, etc; and
may include network factors that may affect the indicators
previously described, such as block error rates, packet-loss rates,
and average service rates, etc. These factors may be used to obtain
Mean Opinion Scores (MOSs) which represent users' EoS, through
simulation, fitting and formula conversion.
[0057] The objective measurement algorithms may be referred to as
objective evaluation algorithms without references, such as
algorithm P.563 or E-MODEL for evaluating experiences of speech
quality. These algorithms may also be applied to evaluate QoE of
services such as video phone, video streaming on-demand, webpage
navigation, FTP download, etc. The users' experiences may be
decomposed into a series of indicators that are measurable and
representative of quality of the services, and a series of network
indicators including wireless indicators. The resulted indicators
may then be fitted through mathematical modeling, resulting in
formulae for evaluating the users' EoS.
[0058] A mobile phone may measure and record the indicators
described above during processes of services, and obtain
measurement of users' EoS utilizing particular formulae. One
embodiment of the evaluation records of QoS and EoS is illustrated
in Table 3.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Information Description IMSI International
Mobile Subscriber Identity ServiceType ID YY:MM:DD:HH:MM:SS:ms
Service starting time YY:MM:DD:HH:MM:SS:ms Service ending time MOS
Overall evaluation of the service -BLER Decomposed indicator 1:
average BLER (for example) - . . . Decomposed indicator 2: - . . .
. . .
[0059] 4. Communication between mobile phones and networks and
control thereof are described in the following. A mobile phone may
be provided monitoring functions to communicate with its networks,
such as receiving control from network side, uploading information
to a network, or downloading data from a network. Details of the
communication and control will be described later.
[0060] In one embodiment, a mobile phone may be able to identify
short messages sent from a Service Provider (SP) with a particular
SP number, interpret the short messages, initiate or terminate
measurements of monitoring information, and update measurement
configuration files according to the short messages.
[0061] A mobile phone may be able to download measurement
configuration files from an MMA server on network side according to
instructed address, interpret content of the measurement
configuration files, and perform monitoring functions according to
the interpretation. Moreover, a mobile phone may be able to
initiate uploading of obtained monitoring information to a data
server under prescribed conditions according to the measurement
configuration files. A mobile phone may also be able to compress
data to be uploaded following a particular algorithm.
[0062] The monitoring functions that may be provided on a mobile
phone in the embodiments of the present invention may be
implemented by integrating with software already available on the
mobile phone, and no additional software application is needed to
be developed and installed.
[0063] B. Network Side
[0064] A network in the embodiments of the present invention may
provide support of monitoring functions on mobile phone side,
uploading, storage and analysis of the obtained monitoring
information on mobile phone side. FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment
of configurations of a network 400 for the system in the
embodiments of the present invention, such as the network in FIG.
2.
[0065] A mobile phone 410 receives services from the network 400,
and may be provided with monitoring functions described in FIG. 2
and/or FIG. 3. The network 400 in FIG. 4 may include an MMA server
420, which may be an independent computer, or an application on a
physical server together with other applications.
[0066] The MMA server 420 may include a safety control component
422, a measurement control component 424, and a data collection
component 428. The MMA server 420 may also provide a measurement
configuration file 426.
[0067] The network 400 may have various configurations and
functions. The network 400 may include an Operation Maintain System
(OMS) 430, which may have a list of IDs of mobile phones with
monitoring functions described in the embodiments of the present
invention, and may have general knowledge of areas where the mobile
phones move, as bases for initiating monitoring of network
performance. The mobile phone IDs may include mobile phone numbers
and/or IMSI. The OMS 430 may send a list of mobile phone IDs 425 to
the MMA server 420, and mobile phones with the IDs may be triggered
by the MMA server 420 to start correspondent monitoring
functions.
[0068] The MMA server 420 may have a fixed IP address pre-assigned
by operators, and the mobile phone 410 may access the MMA server
420 via Internet or FTP.
[0069] For control of monitoring functions on mobile phone side,
the MMA server 420 may be set as a specific Service Provider (SP),
e.g., "1900". The SP may be used specifically for transmitting
short messages via a short message center 440 to the mobile phone
410, triggering the mobile phone 410 to initiate or terminate
monitoring, or updating a measurement configuration file. The
mobile phone 410 may interpret short messages received from a
specific SP accordingly, which will be described later.
[0070] The MMA server 420 may record IDs of certain mobile phones
that have initiated monitoring successfully, and use the component
422 to authenticate mobile phones that may need further uploading
from or downloading to the MMA server 420, preventing unauthorized
access to the MMA server 420.
[0071] The MMA server 420 may be configured to provide downloading
services. The measurement configuration file 426 may be downloaded
for providing configurations of measurement and uploading to be
performed by the mobile phone 410. The measurement configuration
file 426 may be changed manually, and the mobile phone 410 may be
notified about the change through short messages.
[0072] The MMA server 420 may also be configured to be an FTP
server, or any other application server which is in correspondence
with required uploading format, for receiving uploading from the
mobile phone 410, and storing uploaded data in a particular manner.
For example, the uploaded data may be stored according to mobile
phone IDs and uploading time, as shown in Table 4.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Uploading Mobile phone ID Uploading time 1
Uploading time 2 time 3 Mobile phone ID 1 Uploading file 1
Uploading file 2 . . . Mobile phone ID 2 Uploading file 1 Uploading
file 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[0073] The network 400 may include an additional independent data
server 450. The mobile phone 410 may not access the data server 450
directly, but data from the mobile phone may be uploaded to the MMA
server 420, and forwarded to the data server 450 for storage. The
data server 450 may also store data obtained by other network
elements of the network 400 and CHR information, or may further
include a "network problem expert system". The MMA server 420 may
be separated with the data server 450 by a fire wall 460.
[0074] The data collection component 428 may support compression
and decompression of data uploaded from the mobile phone 410. The
data server 450 may be connected with data analysis tools 452, for
processing comprehensively data on the independent data server 450.
The data processing will be described later.
[0075] C. Monitoring Control and Data Uploading
[0076] Referring still to FIG. 4, one embodiment for triggering the
mobile phone 410 to start monitoring functions is to set up the MMA
server 420 as an SP unit. The SP unit may be configured the same as
normal SPs, that is, an SP code and service code, such as "1900"
are assigned to the SP unit, and management of the SP unit may be
provided in the Internet Short Message Gateway (ISMG) of the
network 400. Communication between the SP unit and the IMSG follows
the Short Message Service (SMS) Protocol, and the message content
may be customized. Table 5 illustrates an embodiment of a network
control short message for controlling monitoring functions of a
mobile phone.
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Message Content Description Note
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX Server address for downloading IP address + port
number measurement configuration file XXXXXXX Measurement
configuration file name TXT file name XXXXXXXXXX . . . Message
content, a series of digits (0~1), >1.sup.st bit 0: start
monitoring/1: stop Invalid for any other digits monitoring
>2.sup.nd bit 0: upload immediately Whether upload immediately
>3rd bit 0: update measurement configuration Configuration file
update file indicator . . . . . . . . .
[0077] As illustrated in Table 5, content of such a short message
may include: server address for downloading and/or uploading;
measurement configuration file name; a series of digits, where the
first bit represents starting or stopping monitoring, the second
bit represents whether upload will be performed immediately, and
the third bit represents a new measurement configuration file is
needed to be downloaded. The other bits may be defined as
needed.
[0078] Thus, the MMA server 420 may send short messages to
particular mobile phones the same way as other normal SPs. The
mobile phones may take actions accordingly upon receiving the short
messages, and respond to the MMA server 420 whether actions are
successful, e.g., by sending a short message to the MMA server 420.
Table 6 illustrates an embodiment of a message sent by a mobile
phone in response to the control of an MMA server. If no response
is received within a designated period of time from the mobile
phones, the network may need to resend the short messages.
TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Message Content Description Note XXXXXXX . .
. Message content, a series of digits (0~1), Indicators for
response; each bit represents response to a control item in a
network control short message. >1.sup.st bit Response to control
for starting 0 represents success, and 1 monitoring or stopping
monitoring failure >2.sup.nd bit Response to control for
immediate uploading >3rd bit Response to control for updating
measurement configuration file . . . . . . . . .
[0079] D. Measurement Configuration File Format and Content
[0080] As described above, a network control short message sent by
an MMA server to a mobile phone may include an IP address of the
MMA server. When the mobile phone is instructed by the network
control short message to start monitoring or update the measurement
configuration file, the mobile phone may download the measurement
configuration file according to the IP address and configuration
file name, and interpret the measurement configuration file.
[0081] A measurement configuration file provides configuration
information for a mobile phone to perform monitoring functions. In
one embodiment, a measurement configuration file may indicate
information items to be obtained, e.g., measured or collect, by a
mobile phone. The measurement configuration file may further
indicate whether measurement or collection of certain items may be
performed periodically; and if there is no such indication, the
measurement or collection may be triggered by events.
[0082] The events herein may include not only the various events
described in the embodiments of the present invention, but also
some "conditional events", such as poor coverage, strong
interference, poor speech quality, etc. Events may be user-defined
and configurable, e.g., an event may be configured on network side
through a measurement configuration file as needed.
[0083] A measurement configuration file may indicate that the
obtained information may be uploaded on conditions. For example,
the information may be uploaded periodically; or when the
information data size exceeds a give threshold, or exceeds a
certain percentage of capacity of a mobile phone memory.
[0084] The measurement configuration file may be in a TXT format,
and a mobile phone downloading the measurement configuration file
may be adapted to be able to interpret it. Table 7 illustrates an
embodiment of a measurement configuration file in a TXT format.
TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 File Content Description Note XXXXXXXXXX . .
. Text content and series of digits(0~9), Each bit >1.sup.st bit
Whether wireless signal and location represents a information is
measured periodically; control item, 0: yes, 1: no which may be
>2.sup.nd bit period customized >>{0~9} 1 sec/5 sec/10
sec/20 sec/30 sec/40 sec/ 60 sec . . . >3.sup.rd bit Conditions
to trigger upload >>>{0~3} 0~3 represent, respectively,
upload periodically/upload based on file size/ upload based on
percentage of file size to memory space >4.sup.th bit Different
values for different triggering conditions >>{0~9} Represent
respectively: 1 min/5 min/15 min/ 30 min/60 min/2 hr/ . . . 300
KB/500 KB/1000 KB/2000 KB/ 4000 KB/ . . . 15%/30%/50%/75% . . .
>5.sup.th bit {0, 1} Rx measurement indicator 0 represents
>6.sup.th bit {0, 1} Tx measurement indicator no >7.sup.th
bit {0, 1} SIR measurement indicator measurement >8.sup.th bit
{0, 1} Active set measurement indicator and uploading >9.sup.th
bit {0, 1} Monitor set measurement indicator are initiated;
>10.sup.th bit~13.sup.th bit Active set and monitor set and 1
{0, 1} measurement indicator represents >14.sup.th bit~15.sup.th
bit Transport channel measurement initiating {0, 1} indicator
measurement >16.sup.th bit~23.sup.rd bit Network information
measurement and uploading. {0, 1} indicator The definition >. .
. Quality of services measurement may be indicator customized.
>. . . Key events measurement indicator >X bit Definition of
poor coverage event, Other events lower than a RSCP value.
definition >>{0~9} -85 dbm, -90 dbm, -100 dbm, -110 dbm, -120
dbm . . . . . . Other events . . . . . .
[0085] E. Downloading and Uploading Between Mobile Phones and
MMA
[0086] As described previously, an MMA server may be configured to
support uploading and downloading of data. In one embodiment, an
MMA server may be configured as a virtual HTTP server for
downloading, and an FTP server for uploading. Alternatively, the
MMA server may be an FTP for both uploading and downloading.
Configuring the MMA as a server may be accomplished via software,
where fixed IP address and port number are assigned, and
correspondent serving and listening processes of the port are
initiated, for processing requests received from end users to the
port. Once the server is set up, socket of the MMA server is ready
for providing services.
[0087] Mobile phones may perform uploading following general FTP
processes, such as defining ftp uploading functions, based on
socket functions provided by an operating system or developing
platform. When an uploading condition is met, a mobile phone may
invoke the ftp uploading functions to perform data uploading. A
general socket process may include the following steps:
[0088] a. Creating socket connection, such as using Socket
clientSocket=new Socket (HOSTNAME, LISTENPORT), where the variables
represent the server's name and port number, respectively;
[0089] b. Obtaining read and write streams of the created socket,
such as using functions getInputStream ( ) and getOutStream (
);
[0090] c. Performing read and write (download/upload) using the
streams;
[0091] d. Closing the streams; and
[0092] e. Closing the socket.
[0093] The monitoring information obtained on mobile phone side may
be recorded as files using various formats, e.g., the format in
Table 1, 2 and 3. When conditions required in a measurement
configuration file are met for uploading a recorded file, a mobile
phone may upload the related file to an MMA server. The files to be
uploaded may be in a text or binary format. FIG. 5 illustrates an
embodiment of files to be uploaded to an MMA server. Raw monitoring
data may be compressed on mobile phone side before uploading to
save transmission resources, and an MMA server receiving the data
may decompress the data accordingly.
[0094] F. Charging Processing
[0095] Since the embodiments in the present invention may use
mobile phones of some real friendly users for monitoring and
managing network performance, communications, such as short
messages transmission, or file uploading, from a mobile phone
related to such monitoring and management should not be charged by
the core network.
[0096] In one embodiment, this may be implemented utilizing the
core network and corresponding service charging units. For
instance, functions may be provided on a service charging unit for
identifying mobile phone IDs and service types. That is, mobile
phone IDs may be identified for those mobile phones that have
successfully initiated functions for monitoring and managing
network performance. Then communications of those identified mobile
phones with particular MMA servers regarding monitoring and
managing of network performance will not be charged, which may
include performing of certain monitoring functions, messaging with
a special SP on an MMA server as described in the embodiments of
the present invention, and downloading or uploading services with
respect to such MMA server.
[0097] G. Data Processing
[0098] Data uploaded by mobile phones on an MMA server in the
embodiments of the present invention may be decompressed on the MMA
server and forwarded to an independent data server periodically.
The data server may re-organize data uploaded aperiodically from
mobile phones, preparing for correlation processing with data
available on network side, or organize and store the data in a
manner convenient for data processing. FIG. 6 illustrates an
embodiment of data provided by mobile phones and stored on a data
server.
[0099] The data server may further store data that is related to
calling and performance and provided by other network entities,
such as a Regional Node Center (RNC), a Node B, a Service GPRS
Support Node (SGSN), and a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN). Such
data may be statistical data, or records based on time and/or
discreet events, which may include records of pre- and
post-messages when certain pre-defined network events or equipment
events occur. For instance, such data may include customizable
events, such as call drop, handover failure, connection release,
board problems, re-start, or other abnormal events, etc.;
information related to network events or mobile phone events, such
as the events described in the embodiments of the present
invention, including mobile phone IDs, board IDs, link IDs, and
error information of equipment's functional components, etc.; or
pre- and post-messages of equipments around a network or mobile
phone event. FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of data provided by
network elements and stored on a data server.
[0100] The system in the embodiments of the present invention may
not only provide automatic network performance monitoring and
management, but also provide comprehensive processing of data
provided from both mobile phone side and network side. In
combination of an "expert system" available for problem analysis,
the system may provide fast and before-hand problem analysis.
[0101] Processing of the data stored on a data server may include
correlation of data on network side and mobile phone side;
comprehensive analysis of data on the data server, and generation
of processing results, which may be displayed or reported, and used
in problem identification and network performance improvement.
[0102] Correlation of data on network side and mobile phone side
may be based on events occurring on the mobile phone side. For each
event on mobile phone side, the system in the embodiments of the
present invention may search for data, obtained at about the same
time of the event, by network elements on network side. For
instance, the system may correlate information related to the same
calling initiated by a mobile phone with information stored in
related network elements; and input the correlated information into
an "expert system" for analysis, forming an initial optimization
plan.
[0103] FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of a block diagram 800 for
processing information stored in a data server using correlation of
data on mobile phone side and network side. First in step 850,
separate reports and displays 804 related to network monitoring may
be generated using data 802 collected on mobile phone side. Events
on mobile phone side may be correlated with information that is
produced at the same time of the events and provided by other
network elements, such as RNC 812, Node B 814, SGSN 816, GGSN 818,
etc., using mobile phone IDs and time information in step 860. The
correlated information may be used to generate network quality
reports or information tables 832 in step 870; or may be input into
an "expert system" 834 in step 880, which may produce in step 890
possible problem identification and optimization opinions 836.
[0104] The data obtained on both the network and the mobile phone
sides may be processed to produce the following results:
[0105] 1. Geographical display on a map of information related to a
mobile phone user, such as movement of users, service procedures,
location information, wireless signal information, and abnormal
events, etc.
[0106] 2. Statistical reports, graphical display, network KPI
statistics, and abnormality reports (e.g., "holes" in network
coverage, poor coverage, severe interference areas, and pilot
pollution, etc.) of wireless signal coverage and quality
information, for a whole network or different cells during
different period of time.
[0107] 3. Graphical display, statistical reports, and abnormality
reports of end-to-end performance indicators and QoE of various
services, for a whole network or different cells, and during
different period of time or for a whole day. The results may
provide success rates, time delays, jitters, number and time of
buffering, response time, and average rates, etc. of various
services (e.g., voice, video, MMS, web services, and stream medium,
etc.), and MOS for these services, in order to timely discover
performance problems of services, and improve user satisfaction of
services.
[0108] 4. Analysis (including graphical display, statistical
reports and abnormality reports) and statistics of parameters, such
as success rates, time delays, and average number of attempts, etc.
of non-connection procedures, such as cell search, cell selection
and re-selection, paging, random access, and inter-RAT handover,
etc, for a whole network or different cells, and during different
period of time or for a whole day.
[0109] 5. The processing may provide comprehensive analysis and
definition of problems by correlating pre- and post-messages around
key events (mainly include various failures and anomalies) on
mobile phone side and CHRs on network side. In this way, failures
caused by mobile phones are separated. Internal anomalies of a
mobile phone may include network disconnection, power failure or
battery exhaust, system halted, abnormal power control, start or
end of active services, and failure of software applications,
etc.
[0110] 6. Statistics of usage of mobile phone services for a whole
network or different cells, which may include number of usage of a
service, average usage time, statistics of traffic volume. This may
help understand usage trend of various services.
[0111] The processing results may be displayed according to
operator's configuration. The display may include data from all
mobile phones participating network performance monitoring and
management, or data from a certain mobile phone, a particular group
of mobile phones, or mobile phones within a particular area, etc.
Data within certain period of time and areas may be replayed, and
the time and areas are controllable. Data and events to be
displayed may also be configurable, and customized information
table may be generated.
[0112] Compared with a conventional automatic driving test system,
the system in the embodiments of the present invention may provide
more flexible deployment capabilities and more evenly-distributed
testing samples, and may better represent real QoE of a network and
services thereof. Furthermore, the system may automatically and
actively identify network problems, provide comprehensive
end-to-end analysis and optimization of networks, improving
efficiency for optimizing networks and reducing cost for operating
and maintaining networks.
[0113] H. System Implementation
[0114] In application of the present invention, one embodiment
selects friendly users in a mobile communication network as needed,
and the users may have mobile phones configured to have one or more
of the extended monitoring functions, as described previously. The
higher the density at which the mobile phones are distributed, the
more efficient the network monitoring and management.
Alternatively, engineers may carry one or more of such mobile
phones for testing purposes.
[0115] An embodiment of implementing the system of the present
invention to perform network performance monitoring and management
is described below.
[0116] 1. Operators may provide hardware and software on network
side of a mobile communication network according to what has been
described previously, and arrange mobile phones with extended
monitoring functions described in the present invention.
[0117] 2. The mobile phones arranged may be registered by the
operator.
[0118] 3. The system may select one or more of the mobile phones
from a configuration user interface of an MMA on network side,
according to geographic information of the mobile phones, and
generate triggering short messages. The mobile phones selected may
be triggered to perform the extended monitoring functions. FIG. 9
illustrates an embodiment of a user interface of an MMA on network
side, where mobile phones may be selected and triggered to start
monitoring.
[0119] 4. The system may also define various information items to
be obtained by the selected mobile phones, and uploading methods
and conditions, using the configuration user interface of the MMA,
as illustrated in FIG. 10, and generate a measurement configuration
file.
[0120] 5. The system may design various test cases utilizing step 3
and step 4 above. For example, testing users may be divided into
groups for different testing purposes. Different groups may act
differently according to different measurement configuration file,
and users in the same group may act according the same
configuration file.
[0121] 6. The system may send short messages to trigger mobile
phones to start monitoring.
[0122] 7. A mobile phone may respond to a short message received,
interpret the short message, download a measurement configuration
file and interpret the measurement configuration file, and start
monitoring accordingly.
[0123] 8. A mobile phone may update the measurement configuration
file or terminate the monitoring according to other short messages
received consequently.
[0124] 9. A mobile phone may upload the monitoring information once
a particular uploading requirement is met.
[0125] 10. The monitoring information from the mobile phones is
received on network side, and processed accordingly to generate
reports related to network performance and problems. The system may
analyze the received data, identify the problems, and perform
correspondent adjustment or optimization to the network. The system
may continue to monitoring performance of the adjusted or optimized
network.
[0126] A mobile phone with one or more of the monitoring functions
described in the present invention may be used as an actual
commercial mobile phone, as a testing mobile phone, or as a fixed
wireless terminal, to form alternative embodiments of the present
invention. Engineers may carry mobile phones with the monitoring
functions of the present invention, instead of the conventional
driving test tools, to perform manual tests.
[0127] Monitoring information of a mobile phone may vary as needed,
formulating different testing schemes. For example, a test may be
performed only for monitoring quality of services, or only for
monitoring wireless coverage. A network may control monitoring of a
mobile phone by only sending short messages or multimedia messages
to the mobile phone, instead of sending a combination of short
messages and a measurement configuration file. The short messages
or the multimedia messages may include needed monitoring control
information, and have a self-defined format. Mobile phones
receiving the shorts messages or multimedia messages should be able
to interpret the messages. Data uploading or downloading may be
performed by ftp or Web, or other equivalents. The data processing
results may not be limited to those described in the present
invention.
[0128] Network operators may select friendly mobile phone users and
distribute, evenly or unevenly on purpose, the mobile phones in
testing areas, defining various testing cases, and providing
monitoring and management of network performance with different
emphasis. As more and more mobile phones are provided with the
monitoring functions and network bandwidth increases quickly, it is
expected that in the age of 4G, every mobile phone user may become
a monitoring point, and network problems may be easily detected. In
this case, the system for network performance management and
optimization will become completely automatic, covering all areas
and being pre-optimized.
[0129] The system of the present invention provides network
monitoring and management using actual users, and may automatically
and continuously obtain network and service data, reducing cost for
network maintenance and optimization. Operators may configure
different monitoring schemes in different areas at the same time.
Deployment of and testing by the system in the present invention
are less restricted by natural conditions and thus more flexible
and convenient, reducing overall cost.
[0130] The system also provides broader testing areas, and performs
tests conveniently on trunk roads, and within offices and residence
areas as well. Testing points of the system are distributed more
evenly, and testing data is generated from actual mobile phone
users, reflecting more closely actual network situations. With the
system in the present invention, engineers may be focused more on
analyzing and solving problems, instead of performing driving
tests.
[0131] The system also automatically detects problems that a
network may have on signal coverage, signal quality, network
performance and quality of services, etc. The system in the present
invention may also provide measurement of quality of services,
including end-to-end performance indicators and experience of
services, helping detect problems in advance, and improving user
satisfaction of services.
[0132] In addition, the system monitors and optimizes procedures of
mobile phones in idle mode, expanding range of performance
management; and record abnormal events on mobile phone side,
isolating factors of mobile phones during problem analysis.
Furthermore, information of pre- and post-messages around key
events, wireless signal information, GPS location information, and
physiognomy and topography on the map, etc. on mobile phone side
can be correlated with CHR and other information on network side,
for providing comprehensive analysis, and improving problem
analysis and pinpointing capabilities. With the system in the
present invention, operators are able to detect and solve the
network and service problems earlier, avoiding users'
complaint.
[0133] The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is
provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the
present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will
be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and generic
principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments
without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus,
the present invention is not intended to be limited to the
embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope
consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed
herein.
* * * * *